The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has sanctioned criminal charges against eight private health facility owners and a regulatory official over alleged fraud involving the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The decision follows reviews of investigative files submitted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) between late January and late February 2026, which uncovered what prosecutors describe as coordinated efforts by unlicensed facilities to illicitly access public health insurance payments.
According to the ODPP statement, several facilities and their directors will face charges including conspiracy to defraud, operating without a valid licence, and obtaining money by false pretences, call offences tied to fraudulent registration and payment claims under SHA.
Among the accused are directors of Danaba Care Hospital, Adfaal Kids Care Medical Centre, Julun and Alati nursing homes, Mama Nerbeel and Kaafi nursing homes, and Dimtu Nursing Home Limited.
A particularly troubling aspect of the case is the involvement of Harun Liluma, an employee of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC).
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Prosecutors allege that Liluma abused his access to digital systems to manipulate facility registrations, enabling unaccredited clinics to be onboarded onto the SHA platform and receive reimbursements they were not entitled to.
He is expected to face multiple charges, including unauthorised access to computer systems, abuse of office, and computer fraud.
This action comes against a backdrop of scrutiny over the SHA scheme and its controls.
Last year, a forensic audit flagged irregular claims within the system, prompting the suspension of dozens of facilities and the deployment of real-time fraud detection tools by the Ministry of Health to safeguard public funds.
Analysts say the prosecutions are a necessary step to stem leakages, protect taxpayer money, and reassure Kenyans that the integrity of the SHA, critical to achieving universal health coverage, is being upheld.
